Creepy, Cranky, Comic Convention Crawlers

Creepy, Cranky Comic Convention Crawlers 

     In preparation for this year's New York Comic Con, I've been doing my homework: preparing my costume, re-reading my favorite comic book trade novels, designing and redesigning blueprints for my Rorschach grappling hook gun prop... you know, all the usual stuff. During this process, I've made some interesting observations on the subject of Geek Culture in America. At least, I found them interesting. 

     American Geek Culture, as much as some people try to ignore it, is a growing influence in pop-culture, and a larger demographic (especially in the most recent generations) is being swallowed up by the increasingly broadly-defined "Nerd" clique. I'd like to just take some time and see if I can enlighten some of the uninitiated to the nuances and subtleties within the culture of the Comic Con-crawling creeps who are conquering current consciousness. If I can, I would also convert those I could to the way of life that so many young Americans have already embraced. 

     First, a stipulation must be made... well, stipulated: going to Comic Con and being a geek are not mutually exclusive. Many people who annually attend comic book conventions do not embrace other aspects of the Geek subculture; they're frequently members of my generation who attend conventions to buy interesting conversational pieces for their homes and to show off to all of their hipster friends what an eccentric they are. Likewise, a large portion of those who consider themselves true Geeks don't go to New York Comic Con- (not to be confused with San Diego Comic Con, but we'll get into that later)- because they feel it's prostituting their modus operandi to the general public.  

     Now, I mentioned earlier that some of the elitist nerds don't consider NYCC (New York Comic Con) the "real deal." That's because, in a sense, it isn't. NYCC and SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) are completely unaffiliated and, for technical and legal purposes, entirely unrelated. The Southern California Comic Book Convention (which would later come to be known as San Diego Comic Con or simply "Comic Con") was founded in 1970 by a handful of comic book aficionados. Before this, comic book conventions were not unheard of, but they were universally tiny affairs, usually held in high school gymnasiums and local convention centers. 

     It wasn't until the Southern California Comic Book Convention that these "cons," as they are now colloquial known by those who attend more than one such convention a year, began to enter the mainstream. Naturally, other cities wanted all of the tourist revenue generated by the massive gatherings of like-minded losers- I mean people. Conventions similar to the SDCC popped up all over the nation. Predictably, New York gave birth to one of the more prominent of these rip-off Comic Cons. 

      Besides location, the biggest differences between the two major Comic Cons that often cause minor outcry from the most snooty of nerds are as follows (be sure to take notes, there's going to be a test at the end) : 

1. Originality-  those of geek-minded dispositions are meticulous to the point of obsession when it comes to only believing in the "original" version of something. Star Trek: The Next Generation, to an untrained observer, is a superior television program to The Original Series, but no self-respecting, self-proclaimed geek will ever admit this. It has nothing to do with superiority in acting and production values- it is a matter of stubbornness. If anybody remembers, about a month ago Michael Bay announced that he was going to adapt the classic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon into a movie. Of course, he announced that there would be major changes to the franchise under his lead. The audience of this hypothetical movie was stirred into an uproar. If it isn't the original T.M.N.T, it isn't T.M.N.T. at all! they cried. 
2. Money- Short version: San Diego Comic Con is run by a not-for-profit organization. New York Comic Con is run by a conglomerate of local business hoping to make a profit. Which cause seems more noble? (The previous question was rhetorical, as the answer is clearly the former.) Long version: the same as the short version but with bigger words and compound sentences. 

     All in all, there really isn't a difference in what happens at these major conventions. Generally speaking, most of the major announcements regarding upcoming movies, video-games, and- obviously- comic books happen at San Diego, if only because this one is held two or three months before the New York convention. For instance, in 2010, in the midst of the Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios booths at SDCC, a lone, studded metal glove sat in a prop case with no descriptions or labels anywhere near it. What was this glove, you may be asking? 

It was this. 

     -A minor transgression for those unfamiliar with Marvel comic books: This image depicts the Infinity Gauntlet, a central plot MacGuffin in the Marvel Universe. It is generally associated with Thanos, an emotionally disturbed space alien from one of the moons of Jupiter who uses the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out races in order to impress his girlfriend, the Grim Reaper. Yeah, you read that right. 

     Now, this is what the Infinity Gauntlet looked like in the comics: 

Yep. That's Thanos for you. 

     Now, if the two above images meant nothing to you, congratulations! You are entirely sane and will probably save tons of money on movie tickets, comic books, trade novels, action figures, and convention admission. But you need to understand that drawing the connection between the Infinity Gauntlet on display and the Infinity Gauntlet in the book marked a key turning point in Hollywood. A well-read fan would have been able to guess the next three years of major blockbusters by this one unlabeled piece if paraphernalia. 

     Let me explain:  

• The gauntlet itself is the centerpiece of this cover, and the central plot point of the run (another word for storyline in a long-running comic book series). Basically, when the glove is equipped with the six Infinity Gems, the wielder has infinite power over time, space, reality, life, and really anything that the writers think would create sufficient peril. Fans of the Marvel universe already knew that an Avengers movie was inevitable, but they had no inkling as to the plot, until this popped up. 
• More important than the Gauntlet is the guy wielding it. Thanos, the Mad Titan, is a misanthropic alien from Jupiter's moon, Titan. He held a grudge against life as we know it and he had a crush on Death (who is depicted as a woman in the Marvel universe). Using the Infinity Gauntlet he hoped to kill humanity so that Death would sleep with him. He went so far as to introduce the ailing Captain Marvel to his sweetie as the good Captain was dying of cancer. (Incidentally the lamest superhero death of all time.) 
• Looking at the series of superheros lining the edges of the page, we see Colonel Nick Fury, who most will recognize from the Iron Man movies. (He's the guy with the eyepatch looking conspicuously not like Samuel L. Jackson.) 
• Another superhero present here that everyone, even those who don't read comic books religiously, will recognize is Spiderman. Unfortunately, at the time Joss Wheadon was hired to pen the script, and even before when The Avengers was still just an idea, the Spiderman movie rights had been sold to SONY after the disastrously received third installment in Sam Raimi's trilogy. Naturally, Spidey would be absent from The Avengers movie. 
• Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye (with a purple mask, mind you) and a number of other familiar faces pose ominously and heroically in the bottom right corner. Yeah, this is all Avengers-y and stuff. 
• The Silver Surfer and Doctor Strange both feature prominently in the right and left sides, respectively, although FOX owns the rights to the sterling cosmic extreme sports philosopher (unfortunately) and Dr. Strange is largely considered too... strange to incorporate into a movie. 
• We also see Death right above Thanos's head and to the left. Isn't she beautiful? On Thanos's right hand we see Mephisto. An astute reader may notice: "Hey, that's just a few syllables away from Mephistopheles!" Congrats, astute reader. You can read. Astutely. Mephisto is the Marvel universe equivalent of Satan, Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, the Devil, or George Bush depending on how you want to look at it. He's infamous for such attrocoties as bringing Aunt Mae back to life and giving Ghost Rider incredible powers to stop evil... If you think that this sounds pretty un-evil, you're not alone. Mephisto is a lousy villain, which is why he's taking third billing to an alien and an anthropomorphized abstraction of human mortality.  

     From one solitary prop behind a glass pane, the average Comic-Conning nerd was able to draw a conclusion fairly close to the end result. The Avengers was, of course, one of the best selling films of the year and all time. However, very little of Thanos or the Infinity Gauntlet was seen at all through the whole film. Audiences got their share of Colonel Fury, Dr. Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, and Captain "America" Rogers, but they were starving for fulfillment of their predictions until the last image of the movie appeared on the screen: 

No, not this one. 

This one. 

    This, dear readers, is the cinematic incarnation of the Mad Titan, Thanos. For most of the film, he is shrouded in shadow and we only hear him speak in a low, gravely tone. However, after the closing credits roll (but before the team enjoys some schwarma), this exchange occurs: 

     Chitauri Leader- ... To invade Earth is to court death. 

     

     Thanos- (Turns slowly to face the Chitauri Leader and smiles, knowingly, in a way that only true fans will be able to correctly interpret) 

    Logically, we have the Infinity Gauntlet to look forward to in The Avengers II. Can't wait!